


thoughts of a stranger

by koutaroomi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Just kuroken things, Kenma's thoughts, KuroKen - Freeform, M/M, Mutual Pining, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25215799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koutaroomi/pseuds/koutaroomi
Summary: "Why do you have to look at me like that, Kenma? Are you perhaps interested in me?" Kuroo jokes, his eyes piercing right back at Kenma, who was now red from embarrassment. Kenma curses at himself, wanting the ground to open up and swallow him whole.God, Kenma, you're so embarrassing. Kenma thought."I wasn't staring at you," Kenma argues, covering his face with the book he's holding.-Kozume Kenma's chaotic thoughts or POV during his first date with a stranger named Kuroo Tetsurou, and how their little date ended.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 13
Kudos: 122





	thoughts of a stranger

**Author's Note:**

> Just some kuroken fluff that I suddenly thought of. I did this on a whim, but I hope you liked it!
> 
> A very big thank you to reya @atsumuwus for beta reading the fic ilysm <33

Kenma hates first meetings. He hates introducing himself to strangers. He hates shaking hands and putting on a tight smile. He hates spending time with them. And he really hates it when he gets too attached. Yet, he finds himself sitting inside the library, waiting for someone he's supposed to meet up with. Kenma thinks his friends are ridiculous, forcing him to go out of his room and meet new people.

And maybe find a boyfriend.

Kenma doesn't like the idea of meeting with someone from outside his circle, but it wouldn't hurt to try, right?

Just a few more minutes and Kenma's little world would probably change only by a mere stranger. Thinking about it makes him wary, and he starts to doubt if his decision was right, countless 'what ifs' start to flood his mind.

Kenma begins to regret it. His legs start bouncing quickly in a swift motion. He twirls a strand of hair with his finger before tucking it behind his ear. He hides both of his hands on the warm pocket of his hoodie.

But then a simple greeting erases his anxiety.

He hears a 'hello.' His body automatically freezes, and he slowly brings himself to look up behind the curtains.

He looks just like my type.

Kenma curses at himself for thinking of something like that.

Kenma's eyes go up to his face, eyeing his features. The stranger has black hair, one side-parted up, and the other parted down, covering his face's right side. His piercing eyes stood out, brown and gold from the sunlight shining on his face.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asks. His voice sounded like honey, drawing him in. It was sweet. Addicting.

"I don't mind." Kenma replies, ignoring the voices inside him yelling to move away. Him being close to Kenma was dangerous. It was like the prey stepping inside the predator's territory.

"My name's Kuroo Tetsurou. You can call me Kuroo if you want." he starts, a genuine grin on his face.

Kenma's heart starts racing. Just a simple smile manages to tug at Kenma's heartstrings, playing an unfamiliar note in a sing-song manner.

He clears his throat, eyeing the man in front of him. "I'm Kenma. Kozume Kenma."  
Kenma ponders, thinking on the next step after the introduction. Was he supposed to ask him about himself? Or maybe offer lunch? Does he look good right now?

  
He pauses and realizes the last thought. Since when was he self-conscious of himself? He looked down on himself, scanning his outfit, a plain black hoodie, and jeans, while Kuroo was wearing a plain black turtleneck and jeans.

He confirms that Kuroo definitely made an effort on his appearance, unlike Kenma, who just threw on whatever hoodie he could lay his hands on.

"So..." Kuroo says, trailing off. "I think we should get to know each other if that's how it works." He continues, rubbing the back of his neck, and a flush of pink painting his cheeks.

Kenma nods, putting his hand back inside his pockets. "I'm not... really good at this thing, so I guess you could go first?"

Kuroo laughs at his statement.

He laughed.

It was entrancing to listen to, different from what sound he was always surrounded with. It was always the sound of video games. The sound of gun effects, his friends screaming, the sound of tires screeching across the road, or the lady vendor across the street always yelling at kids playing in front of her store.

This was new. And if Kenma has the chance, he would set it as an alarm clock. Or download the whole song and compile it on his 'love vibes' playlist.

"Hmm, I like cats and dogs, most cats, though because they're pretty cute," Kuroo says. "And I can tell you're a cat person."

Kenma's eyes widen in surprise. How did he know? Maybe he didn't thoroughly clean his hoodie, and remnants of cat fur are on it.

"Do you have a basis for that?" Kenma questions with his brow raised.

Kuroo smirks, resting his cheek on his hand. "I know a cat person if I see one."

"Why did you choose the library as a venue? Usually, people choose cafés or restaurants."   
Kenma asks, now playing with the strings of his hoodie.

"Do you not like it?" Kuroo questions back, trying to suppress his frown.

Kenma shakes his head, fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie. He sighs at himself, thinking of how stupid he must be for asking a question like that. "No, it's not like that. I'm just surprised because I usually don't like it when there are too many people. The library feels more comfortable."

Kuroo smiles at his answer. "I'm glad."

Silence. It was kind of awkward if Kenma had to be honest. His mind went back to a dating simulator he was playing. He remembers a part of the game where he had choices of questions to ask. Perhaps he could ask Kuroo the same thing? No. This is reality, Kenma, he thought. A 2D game is different from real life, and he wished that it was as easy. Kenma has a lot of experience when it comes to dating games, but this? Absolutely zero.

He has only one option, and that is to search it up. He glances at Kuroo, who was typing something on his phone with a serious look. Kenma fishes out his phone from his pocket and glides his thumb across the screen, clicking on the search engine.

First date questions to ask.

He clicks the first website that pops up and quickly scrolls down. He has a lot to choose from. Should he choose this one where he asks about his hobbies? Or should he ask about his childhood? The third question is also interesting.

"What are your hobbies?" Kenma asks, putting his phone down.

Kuroo glances from his phone, then looks up as if he was thinking hard. Kenma takes the time to admire him more. Kuroo definitely was Kenma's type, and if they could successfully pull this off and vibe, they might work out. Kenma hopes because Kuroo is a one-in-a-lifetime man.

Kuroo looks back at Kenma, catching Kenma off guard. A light tint of red flushed Kenma's face, and he quickly avoids eye contact in an attempt to hide his face.

"I love volleyball, and I used to play for the high school team." He shares. There was a light of nostalgia and softness on his eyes, and Kenma knows that Kuroo definitely loves the sport. "Volleyball was really fun. We even went to nationals!" 

Kenma subconsciously smiles. Seeing Kuroo beam and happily talk about his hobby made him feel warm and fuzzy. Is this normal? Kenma asks himself. Kuroo continues babbling about his favorite sport, eyes shining like a child just received cotton candy.

A few minutes passed before Kuroo realizes he was doing. He abruptly stops, which made Kenma confused. Kuroo just smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry about that, I easily get carried away when it comes to my favorite things." He says with an apologetic look on his face.

Kenma just chuckles, waving him off, saying that it's okay. "It was fun listening to you ramble on and on about it."

Kuroo squints his eyes at him as if he was doubting him. He crosses his arms and sits back comfortably on his chair. "You should also share more about yourself, Kozume-san."

The way Kuroo addressed him feels off. "Fine, but drop the '-san' and just call me ‘Kenma.’"

"Got that, Kenma-kun!" He teases.

Kenma rolls his eyes but was unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

"What are your likes and dislikes?" Kuroo asks.

Kenma raised his brow at his question, and Kuroo just mouthed him a 'what?'.

"I like games, apple pies, cats. I think that would be all for my 'likes.'" He says. "I dislike crowded places and noisy people- well, except for my friends because I'm used to how chaotic they all are."

Kuroo's small smile tugs up into a grin; then there comes laughter erupting out of him. "I could relate to that."

There it is again. His entrancing laugh that somehow allures Kenma. If this continues on, Kenma would already drown just by the sound.

"You don't look like someone who would love apple pie," Kuroo says, wiping the trail of tears from his eyes.

Kenma tilts his head and raises his brow. "Should I take that one as a compliment or not?"

Kuroo chuckles at his question. "It's a compliment from me, Kenma."

The male just snorts at his statement, then crosses his arms. "Yeah, right."

"You said you like video games," Kenma's ears perked up from Kuroo's statement. Suddenly interested, he stares at Kuroo, waiting for him to continue. "Do you have a favorite?"

_Thank you, not-so-stranger, for asking that question._

Kenma's eyes lit up, attempting to calm himself down as he thinks about all of the games he has at home. Kenma counts and tries to narrow down all the games, using his fingers and with his brows frowning. He was too engulfed with finding his favorite, only to give up midway because he thinks it was possible to choose one. So, he glances at Kuroo. "Uh, do you have a specific genre? I have a lot of games, and I can't just pick one from them."

Kuroo chuckles, "No, no, nevermind that."

Kuroo stands up from his seat, straightening out his wrinkled coat. Kenma eyes him, wondering what he's planning, and Kuroo seems to notice his confused look. He takes off his coat, folding it, and setting it down on his seat.

"I reserved some books that I need for later," Kuroo says after putting down his coat. "I'll get them from the librarian if that's fine with you?"

Kenma ushers him to continue. "You can take your time."

Kuroo left, disappearing once he turned inside an aisle of books. Finally, Kenma felt like he could breathe. He didn't notice how quick his heartbeat was, the sound loud against his ear, and the beat pounding against his chest. Kenma sighs, trying to calm himself down, but the butterflies inside his stomach continued in a frenzy.

"My heart isn't beating faster, my heart isn't beating faster, my heart isn't beating faster, my heart isn't beating faster." Kenma chants, as if trying to cast a spell on himself. 

Kenma whispers, "Get a hold of yourself, Kenma."

He lightly pats himself on the face, repeating it one, two, three times until he felt a slight stinging sensation on his cheeks. He sighs to himself, somehow managed to calm himself down.

The sound of footsteps grew louder, and Kenma looks at the source of the sound. It was Kuroo, his hands full of books, and swiftly carries it to the table. As soon as he places the books down, he huffs a heavy sigh. Kuroo glances at Kenma, who was observing the books.

"Do you read books?" Kuroo asks, checking the books one by one.

"Yeah." Kenma replies. Kuroo smiles at his response, picking the third book on the stack and hands it to Kenma.

Kenma eyes the book then looks up at Kuroo, searching for an answer. "Read this one."

"But you need this book," Kenma says, unsure if he should accept the book.

Kuro just shrugs, placing the book in front of Kenma. He sits back on his seat, plopping himself in a comfortable position. He shuffles for a moment, looking for something inside the pockets of his coat. When he found what he was looking for, he sits back, his hand bringing out the object.

Kenma secretly eyes him behind the book he's reading. He watches as Kuroo slowly puts on his reading glasses, comfortably placing it on the bridge of his nose. Kenma's breath hitches, and he gulps at the sight right in front of him. Kuroo looks so godly right now, and Kenma admits he oozes sexiness.

"Why do you have to look at me like that, Kenma? Are you perhaps interested in me?" Kuroo jokes, his eyes piercing right back at Kenma, who was now red from embarrassment. Kenma curses at himself, wanting the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

God, Kenma, you're so embarrassing. Kenma thought.

"I wasn't staring at you," Kenma argues, covering his face with the book he's holding.

A paper fell out of the book, it was pink, and there was something written on it with dark ink. He glances up at Kuroo, who was too engrossed with the book he's reading. He slowly picks up the piece of paper, reading the contents of it.

Page 87, paragraph 5, sentence 1

He opens the book, following what was written on the paper. It only took him a few seconds to find what he was looking for.

_I desperately want to take you out for dinner and slow dance with you until the sun comes up._

"So? What do you say?"

Kenma shifts his attention away from the book. He could see Kuroo with a smile, and the book he was previously reading now on his lap. 

"Is this your attempt on scoring a date with me?" Kenma jokingly asks.

Kuroo chuckles, standing up from his seat. "You got a problem with that, Kenma?"

"None at all." Kenma replies. "You're a sappy type, huh?"

"If only the person interests me in every aspect, then yes."

Kuroo picks up all the books he reserved, leaving the library, and Kenma follows suit. As soon as they exit the public library, Kuroo stopped in his tracks. He turns around, giving Kenma the same sweet, honey-like smile.

"Should we buy apple pie on the way?" Kuroo suggests. Kenma ponders why they would buy apple pie when they are already on the way to have dinner. "I told you, I want to slow dance with you until the sun comes up, and you'll probably get hungry."

"Then, I'll dance with you until the song ends." Kenma chuckles.

Kuroo smirks at Kenma, tilting his head sideways. "Oh, Kenma, it won't end as fast as you think."


End file.
